Performingheartshttp://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts
Community dialogue through live events that open hearts, minds and eyesWed, 05 Nov 2014 21:22:18 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Societies in Transitionhttp://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?p=1303
http://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?p=1303#commentsTue, 02 Sep 2014 07:45:31 +0000http://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?p=1303The whole world seems to be experiencing a critical juncture. Everywhere we look conflict and crisis foment uncertainty. How can our political, economic and social structures respond to the rising tide of environmental degradation, climate change, ideological extremism, unemployment, poverty, disease, racial injustice and war? How do individuals cope with the instability and uncertainty of their fragile situations. Our performance projects and associated public forums will explore these questions and look for innovative thinking and solutions. One thing is certain, we cannot hope to face these situations alone. Let’s seize the opportunity form community around our common struggles.

2012-13 Campus Wide Exploration of

The Right to Think!? Science Politics and Public Perception

In our current political and economic climate, what are the obstacles and challenges to creating a well-informed citizenry capable of grappling with the difficult choices that face our nation? Our information comes broadly from three sources. Here are some specific questions on my mind. Please add more by replying to this post and attending our Coffee Talks.

MEDIA:

What is the responsibility of the media to act as honest brokers of factual and truthful information?

What is the impact of corporate ownership of media?

Can the ‘New Media’ or ‘Citizen’s Media’ on the internet counter-act the bias of corporate owned media?

Has commerical media become the new ‘opiate of the masses?’

EDUCATION:

What are the challenges to our public education system in this time of economic disparity and political division?

How do vested interests influence the public perception of teachers and education policy?

How do we identify the actual obstacles to student achievement and fashion an education system that addresses those obstacles?

Who defines the goals of our education system? Are we merely preparing students for ‘success’ workplace or are we creating a foundation for life-long engagement with the critical issues of living in this world?

GOVERNMENT:

Can we trust information from the government?

To what extent does the political agenda of an administration influence the reports and policies of governmental agencies?

How does the government influence the commercial media?

To what extent does privileged access to high government officials taint the flow of news and information from the government to the people?

Help make this truly a campus wide integrative learning project. Join the Discussion

Discuss any related topic in your class and add it to the list of participating classes. Click Here

Give extra credit for attending one of our theatre productions and or coffee talks. More Info

]]>http://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?feed=rss2&p=11860Participating Classes 2012-13http://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?p=1176
http://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?p=1176#commentsFri, 17 Aug 2012 14:02:08 +0000http://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?p=1176Faculty can comment on this post with the names of the classes you teach that are participating in this project. Participation is as simple as incorporating discussion of a relevant topic into your classroom. Go to the CONNECTING CLASSROOMS page to see other suggestions.
]]>http://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?feed=rss2&p=11761Critical Thinking Under Attackhttp://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?p=1157
http://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?p=1157#commentsWed, 15 Aug 2012 23:56:25 +0000http://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?p=1157Yes, it’s true, the Texas GOP adopted the following statement in it’s 2012 platform:

Knowledge-Based Education – We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.

This provides a perfect example of why it is so so necessary to address the issues raised by this series. The Texas Republican platform represents a rising tide of forces aligned against the freedom of thought championed by public education. It may seem laughable, but we who care about education and the direction of our nation should take this as a wake-up call.

Don’t take “The Freedom To Think” for granted. Join us this year as we engage in open, critical dialogue on these controversial topics that define American values.

[PP] Steven, what inspired you to do an adaptation of Ibsen’s AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE?

[SD] I was approached by the Milwaukee Rep. about the adaptation. [Milwaukee Rep Artistic Director] Joe Hanreddy felt it was a timely play and could be given a new, American slant. I agreed and jumped in.

PP] Bill, what first interested you about this play, and why is it a relevant story to be telling now?

[WB] AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE is about tough moral decisions a community has to make – the way a crowd is influenced, the way democracy is shanghaied, the way the media can manipulate a story for popular reasons, the fact that hard choices that a community has to make necessitates sacrifice and you can’t pretend otherwise…and how comfortable it is to go along…how satisfying that is. These are all issues that have currency today. Steven’s play is rooted in Ibsen’s story and with his style of storytelling, yet this adaptation has a distinct American tone.

[PP] Tell me about the choice of setting the play in the Midwest in the 1920s.

[SD]It’s just such a rich and vibrant time – in terms of politics, business, music, exploration. A time when the modern America was being born, and thus a time of great and startling conflict. Plus, even though I spent a great deal of my early career in the Midwest, I had not written about that part of the world as much as I’d like. PARAGON SPRINGS was a chance to do that.

[PP] Bill?

[WB] First of all, I had yet to find a truly satisfying adaptation of AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE. It seems to me that one of the things that comes up with Ibsen all the time is that it’s really easy for an audience to sit back and say, “Oh that’s the way things were in the 19th century in Scandinavia. It’s easy to distance yourself and not see yourself in the play. I always think, “What’s the point? That doesn’t really affect us.” This play is a disturbing play and a dangerous play. It articulates ideas that are messy and not easy to come to terms with. What I love about this version is that the town is very familiar to us. It’s Wisconsin – our own backyard. Instead of it happening in some foreign venue, it’s something we know – our friends and neighbors.

It makes me laugh that I’m doing this right after directing OUR TOWN [at Writers’ Theatre]. It introduces us to some really terrific people, in a really chummy community, but it goes to the underbelly of it. The 1920s were something of a boom time. It’s certainly the beginning of modern America right after WWI. It’s got one foot in OUR TOWN and one foot in a more modern small town. [PP] The play deals with a changing era of media with the invention of radio. How does the power of the media affect the story?

[SD] There is no longer such a thing as “one man’s voice.” Technology – radio, in this case – enables the voice of one man to resonate and, frankly, impersonate the voices of many. The infamous phrase “The American People” surely comes out of this time most profoundly – because technology suddenly began to give the illusion that one man could reach, and therefore, speak for everyone. [PP] Steven, how did you first meet Bill, and what do you think he can bring to this play?

[SD] I directed Bill in the premiere of my play LONELY PLANET at Northlight back when we were both young. I’m loathe to say nice things about him in print – but, okay, since you’ve asked: he’s smart, funny, passionate and has, I think, an innate sense that storytelling and performance go hand in hand. That sounds simple, but believe me: It’s rare. I like that about him, even though he’s tall. Just don’t send him a copy of this, okay?

[PP] Bill, in addition to working with Steven on LONELY PLANET, you also directed TimeLine’s HALCYON DAYS. What draws you to his work so much?

[WB] Well Steven’s got a devilish wit. I guarantee this is the funniest Ibsen anyone’s ever seen. That’s no small thing. And at the same time there’s always a conscience at work. He’s not interested in an amoral universe.

[PP] Steven, you’re one of the most prolific playwrights in America. What influences the work you choose?

[SD] I just write the play in front of me – whatever that may be. I’ve never been very good at waiting to write my, quote, masterpiece; my, quote, definitive work. I like a lot of stories – and therefore I try to capture as many of them as I can. The chance to write about a lot of corners of the world has broadened my life immeasurably. I’m fortunate that for twenty-plus years I’ve had the chance to do this.

[PP] Bill, let’s talk about the plays you choose. You’ve built a reputation for staging classics, including Shakespeare, Williams, Odets, Wilder and Miller, among others. But, while having an extensive body of work with classics, you are also quite interested in new plays and playwrights. How do you find the balance and what are the factors for selecting pieces to work on?

[WB] Whether it’s an old play or a new play, if it excites me…if I feel that I have something to say about this piece, that’s the criteria. I think that needs to apply whether it’s Shakespeare or a world premiere. I’m not interested in making a concession to some piece just because it’s a new play. I don’t see the point.

[PP] Many Chicagoans also know you for your work onstage as an actor. How does this work serve you when you’re on the other side of the footlights as a director?

[WB] I understand what an actor goes through. I never for a minute forget that walking on a stage is one of the scariest things you can do. I’ve learned to not impose my process on someone else but to try to honor what they need to get there.

[PP] Have you encountered any surprises working on PARAGON SPRINGS?

[WB] When I started working on this, I thought I was doing a Dietz play. Now I realize that I’m working with two playwrights. It’s very much a Dietz play, but it’s also an Ibsen. That’s exciting.

Our theme for 2012-13 is “The Right To Think?! Science, Politics and Public Perception.” Our four theatre productions investigate different aspects of the current American discourse on the relationship between truth and ideology. In each play, knowledge provided by science creates personal and social crisis over questions of ethics, morality , politics, economics and the public good. These American landscapes include the issues of industrial waste and pollution, media manipulation in the interest of economics, the uninformed electorate, abortion and poverty, human communication in the age of technology, and academic freedom and the teaching of evolution.

In connection to the productions we are offering a series of Coffee Talks with distinguished panelists and public dialogue over the topics raised by the plays.

Make sure to follow this website to get all the updates.

]]>http://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?feed=rss2&p=10483Ruminations on Marriagehttp://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?p=1027
http://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?p=1027#commentsThu, 10 May 2012 21:43:55 +0000http://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?p=1027Click the arrow above to listen to this powerful composition by Palomar Music faculty Madelyn Byrne. The source material for this composition was over 11 hours of recorded audio interviews with Palomar faculty and staffon the subject of marriage. Madelyn culled the interviews down and added many layers of music and sound to create this remarkable 7 minute composition.

The composition was presented with live choreography by Molly Faulkner as part of Between The Silence, PerformingHeArts OUT Loud.

]]>http://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?feed=rss2&p=1027718Palomar College LGBTQ Awareness Month: 3rd Annual Palomar College Pride Festhttp://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?p=1010
http://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?p=1010#commentsMon, 23 Apr 2012 05:02:14 +0000http://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?p=1010
]]>http://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?feed=rss2&p=101045May Day Flyers Half Pagehttp://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?p=995
http://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?p=995#commentsSun, 22 Apr 2012 08:37:51 +0000http://www2.palomar.edu/performinghearts/?p=995May-Day-Half-Page-Titanic – right click and save as to download the pdf version of the flyers in english and spanish